Masquerade
by Kittyclaw
Summary: Oneshot. A friendly dance, a walk under the stars. Aelita chases down love, while Odd is left behind to wait.


**I swear when I started this I was trying to get some stuff writen for my other stories. It just...got away from me a little. Anyway, now we have yet another OddxAelita to add to the collection. Well, it's more hinted at then anything. And also, when ever I get around to writing the long love story that Weaponfanfic has convinced me to try, I think this will be how it starts. Umm, they're around 16 in this then. So anyway, give it a look, lemme know what you think :)**

* * *

Aelita sighed, dropping her pencil onto the desk with a clatter. She couldn't focus, not at all on the work before her. I was her favorite subject too, but even the intricate and usually fascinating math equations and formulas weren't enough to hold her attention. Jeremy, who was sitting beside her, didn't seem to be sharing this same problem. His pen was dancing across his page, and Aelita half wondered what subject the blonde was spending his study hall time working so intently on, but the thought soon fluttered off.

With another sigh, Aelita picked up her pencil and continued trying to do her work. After a few minutes of scratching at her paper without getting anything done, Aelita was about to just give up completely when something landed on her desk. Raising a pink eyebrow delicately, Aelita picked up the folded piece of notebook paper, glancing around for the person who had sent it.

Nobody was looking her way, and it seemed as if everyone was still working diligently. With a shrug Aelita pulled open the note, scanning over its message.

_Hey, want to go with me to the dance tonight? If so, just meet me by the bench when the party starts. I'll be in the gold and purple mask._

Aelita finished the note, looking around once more for anyone who may have sent the letter, but trying not to look as if she was searching the room. Jeremy noticed her twisting slightly back and forth in her seat.

"Is something wrong Aelita?" he whispered curiously, setting his pen down. Aelita jumped slightly, and then gave him a quick shake of her head, quickly tucking the note out of sight.

"No, I'm fine," she answered quietly, turning back to her work. But she wasn't focused on the equations before her. Her mind was still on the note, and who could possibly have asked her to the dance. Mentally she went over the names of the boys in the room. Many of them didn't seem very likely; all of the boys who didn't know her very well would assume she was going with Jeremy.

The only boys in the room who knew better were Ulrich, Odd, and Jeremy himself. The blonde genius wasn't much for parties, be they school hosted or not. And the fact that this party was going on a masquerade theme didn't help. Jeremy was never one for dressing up.

And so the blonde had decided to stay in for the night, taking the time to work on backed-up homework, which had accumulated from a recent string of Xana attacks.

It was funny; one never realized just how much a return trip could help you get homework done until you had to keep up without them.

But while Jeremy had work to do, Aelita did not; and she wasn't about to miss out on the party just because Jeremy was feeling a bit anti-social. She had earlier decided to go with the others, even if she knew that Ulrich and Yumi would soon drift off and Odd wouldn't take long to work his way into the thick of the fun, leaving her as a sort of fifth wheel.

Of course, now it looked like that might change. Sure, she didn't know who he was, but what harm could come from just finding out who this mystery man was? If she found it was someone she would rather not spend her night with, it wouldn't take much effort to brush him off and go back to her wheel plan.

Now smiling faintly, Aelita took another look at the note, then started to work, meanwhile mentally planning out her new evening.

* * *

A buzzing sound from Aelita's purse had the girl quickly fishing out her phone, grinning when she saw who was calling.

"Hey Yumi," she said, resting her free hand on her hip.

"Hi!" Yumi said, and Aelita could hear the smile in the other girl's voice. "You ready for a party?"

"Do you need to ask?" Aelita answered, eyes sweeping around the courtyard she was in, which had been decorated with streamers and numerous paper lanterns in preparation for the night's festivities. It looked like she wasn't the only one ready for a fun night. The entire area was already becoming crowded with students, all talking and laughing as they met up with their friends.

It was obvious which sex was more into tonight's dance, all of the girls looking their very best in a sea of dresses in every color imaginable and all of them in glittery decorative masks. The giggled and chatted, comparing outfits and handbags, and dragging hapless dates with them.

The boys were as colorfully dressed as the girls, in outfits ranging from a simple dress shirt and slacks to full on suits, they too all in masks, though they weren't as magnificent as those of their female counterparts.

"I'll be there in ten minutes," Yumi said, recapturing Aelita's attention. "I'll make sure to pick up those boys on the way!" The girls then said their goodbyes and Aelita hung up, tucking her phone back into her bag as she continued to scan the crowd, picking out people she knew.

She could see Emily over near the cafeteria in a deep green dress, talking to a group of giggly girls. Not far from them, Aelita was able to pick out Sissi. She was in a satiny red dress, which fell to about knee height, though it had slits that stretched almost to the tops of her thighs. Her hair was pulled up in a high curly knot atop her head, and she had a dark red mask, which was accented with ridiculously long red and purple feathers.

Sissi had her hands on her hips, probably with a scowl on her face as she talked to the boy in front of her who Aelita belated recognized as William. He actually looked fairly nice for the dance, dressed in a black dress shirt and pants with a white silk tie. His mask was a simple one, white rimmed in black. He seemed to have been caught by an unhappy Sissi, and unable to get away.

"Aelita!"

Spinning around to see who had called her, Aelita smiled. Yumi was waving as she headed for her, Ulrich in tow. Aelita waved back, waiting for them to reach her.

"Hey Aelita," Ulrich greeted with a smile. "You look nice tonight."

"Thank you," Aelita said, looking down at her dress. It was a very pale pink, almost white, with dark pink trimming on the collar and bottom, paired with a silver and pink sequined mask that was fringed in pink and white. "Yumi helped my pick it out."

Yumi nodded, also grinning. They had gotten their dresses together, Yumi's being a black halter dress with a deep red sash and trim. Her mask was of the same colors, and edged with matching feathers. It looked like she had tried to get Ulrich to at least semi-match her outfit. He had black slacks and a brown dress shirt, paired with a dark red tie. His mask was like Yumi's, but brown and red, and had fewer feathers. Aelita thought they looked cute together.

"Where's Odd?" she asked curiously, noticing one of their party was missing. Ulrich sighed.

"Still getting ready when we left," he said. "He told me he would meet us at the party," he added, rolling his eyes. "He's such a girl." The girls burst into laughter, Aelita fighting back the image of Odd in curlers and putting on mascara.

"Well, let's go," Yumi said, tugging on Ulrich's arm as she pulled him in the direction of the gym, where music could already be heard.

"I'm going to wait here," Aelita said as the pair noticed she wasn't following. "I'm meeting someone."

"Ooooh, looks like someone has a secret admirer," Yumi giggled, making Aelita blush. "Well, we won't intrude on you two love birds. Let's go Ulrich," Yumi then continued to drag Ulrich off, tossing a wink over her shoulder at Aelita as she went.

Once they were gone Aelita looked around again, searching for the boy she was supposed to be meeting. She hadn't seen anyone with a gold and purple mask yet, and now that everyone was pouring into the gym, she was more worried she might just miss him in all the people.

"Excuse me miss," a voice said from behind her, causing Aelita to jump and spin around. She came face to face with a boy she didn't immediately recognize, except for the glittery purple and gold mask which carried matching feathers almost as long as Sissi's had been. The rest of him didn't really give away who he was either.

The boy had certainly taken the time to look nice tonight, dressed up in a dark purple suit with a white undershirt and gold colored tie. His blonde bangs were lightly streaked with purple and framed his mask nicely, with the rest of his hair pulled back in a low ponytail. Blue eyes smiled out of the mask at Aelita as the boy offered her an arm. "Would you care for a dance?"

Aelita's eyes went wide as she recognized the voice.

"Odd?" she said, eyebrows moving for her hairline. "You're the one who asked me out?"

"Hey, we both needed dates," Odd said, giving her a wink. "And how could I not ask a pretty lady to the dance with me?"

Aelita opened her mouth to say something, but found she couldn't think of a reply. Instead she smiled, shaking her head in amusement as she took Odd's arm. "You're incorrigible, you know that?"

"One of my many wonderful attributes, if I do say so myself," Odd responded; leading the way to the gym. The pair earned themselves a few odd looks as they headed inside; and it took Aelita a moment to realize they were directed at Odd. It was probably the first time most people at the school had ever seen the boy without his hair in that giant spike. Thinking about it, she found she rather liked this new look.

It didn't take long for the pair to get right into the party; Odd heading straight into the crowd that swarmed the dance floor. Aelita immediately tried to pull back when they did, earning herself a curious look from Odd.

"Something wrong?" he asked. Aelita nodded.

"I can't dance!" she told him, eyeing the swaying and surging mass of students. Odd just grinned, continuing into the crowd.

"Neither can I!" he called back over the now booming music and shouting people. "Just go with it!" He then found a clear spot in the middle of the floor and released Aelita, breaking out into a series of crazy dance moves that looked both completely made up and a tad dangerous. The people around them laughed and cheered Odd on, and without warning the blonde grabbed Aelita's hand and pulled her in as well.

Taken off guard, Aelita stumbled forward, falling against Odd's chest and then trying to get free again. But Odd would have none of it, holding Aelita tight and swaying her with him. After realizing she wasn't about to get free, Aelita resigned herself to the dance, and soon found herself picking up on the rhythm of the song.

"See, it isn't so hard," Odd said, grinning like a fox. Aelita smiled back, although it quickly disappeared as Odd suddenly lifted her up and spun her, setting her down as the song came to an end. The people around them all clapped and cheered and whistled, while Aelita straightened up her dress self consciously.

"You could have warned me you were going to do that," she huffed, narrowing her eyes at Odd. The blonde just shrugged, winking at Aelita.

"Shall we have another?" he asked as the song changed, the assembled girls cheering as a slow song started up. Soon Odd and Aelita were standing in the middle of a sea of gently swaying couples. Aelita looked around, then to Odd, who gave her a smile, reaching out and taking her hand. He rested his other hand on Aelita's waist.

Looking around at the other girls, Aelita rested her hand on Odd's shoulder, starting to sway and following Odd in slow circles.

"Having fun Princess?" Odd asked Aelita as the circled.

"As a matter of fact, I am," Aelita answered. Odd gave a small laugh.

"More fun than homework?"

Aelita nodded her head with a laugh, resting her head against the blonde's shoulder as they continued to sway. They stayed like that for awhile, until Odd gave her a light nudge. When she looked up Odd winked, motioning to the left with his head. Turning to look, Aelita saw Ulrich and Yumi slowly dancing, the pair lost in each other's eyes, not even noticing when they bumped into other couples, like the one only a foot behind them.

Odd's badly contained snort of laughter told Aelita that he too had caught sight of Sissi and William, the pair seemingly in the middle of an argument of some type as they continued to dance. But soon they, and Yumi and Ulrich, were again swallowed up by the crowd, leaving Odd and Aelita to one another.

The moved together in companionable silence as the music continued on in the background. Aelita feeling herself getting lost in the slow roundabout rhythm of the dance, the people moving and whispering all around fading away, until nothing but the purple clad boy who's shoulder Aelita leaned against remained. And then suddenly the song was finished, now replaced by some loud rock song that Aelita didn't know, though it had the whole rest of the room screaming and dancing again.

Looking around, Odd pulled away from Aelita, giving the girl a smile. "Come on," he said, still holding her hand, which he was now using to lead her through the crowd. "Let's find somewhere a little less exciting."

Aelita didn't object, letting Odd pull her off the dance floor and down the row of tables that lined the edge of the room, where a few little groups sat here and there; boys who didn't want to dance and girls who had no one to dance with. And, of course, the occasional teacher, though they seemed content to talk among themselves over actually keeping an eye on the wild students.

"Where are we going Odd?" Aelita asked curiously when they passed the last of the tables and kept moving. Odd didn't answer, just tossing a grin over his shoulder as they reached one of the gym exits. He pushed the door open, letting go of Aelita's hand and looping his arm through hers as he lead the way back out into the courtyard. Now that it was completely dark, the multi-colored lanterns glowed warmly, making the area look friendly and inviting. The stars and full moon above added to the lighting and the beautiful scene.

Odd lead the way around the edge of the courtyard, skirting a few couples who had also come outside looking for some fresh air, as well as a small huddle of rather dejected looking girls. Aelita could hear one of them muttering something about 'He doesn't know what he's missing' to another of the girls, who was sniffling into her shawl. Once they passed them, Odd leaned over and whispered in her ear, "That's Jessie. She has a massive crush on Ulrich. Must have seen him with Yumi."

Aelita glanced back at the crying girl, and then shook her head, returning her attention to Odd. "So, what about you," she asked, giving Odd a mischievous grin. "How many hearts have you broken tonight?" At the question Odd's expression grew serious, as he puffed out his chest.

"Hundreds," he declared proudly, a grin splitting his face. He then turned to Aelita. "But I'm sure that's nothing compared to you."

"Me?" Aelita repeated, eyes wide and a blush creeping over her cheeks. "I don't think I…"

"Of course you have," Odd said, the pair now walking along the edge of the tree line. "You didn't see the way those boys were watching you in there? And how about Jeremy, eh?" Aelita sighed, looking down at the ground.

"I don't think Jeremy really likes me that much," she said, watching the edge of her dress swaying with her footsteps. Like a pink wave, in and out, in and out.

"I think Jeremy likes you a lot," Odd contradicted, looking out the corner of his eye at Aelita's bowed head. "He's just not very good with girls is all."

"You think so?" Aelita asked, flashing Odd a small, unsure smile. Odd nodded, a smile of his own in place.

"You two are like Ulrich and Yumi," he said, turning to look up at the sky, the moonlight glinting off his mask. "Everyone but you knows you're in love." Odd grinned, turning his head to the side to look at Aelita. "Everyone and their cousin." Aelita giggled, wrapping her arms around Odd's and resting her head against his shoulder.

"We're hopeless," she said, looking up at the stars. "Yumi and I are in love with boys who can't admit they love us back, and you just love every pretty girl you can find."

"Well, there are a lot of pretty girls to be found," Odd responded. He then pulled away from Aelita, grabbing her hand and spinning around so that he faced her. "There's on right here." Again Aelita blushed, ducking her eyes downward. A hand on her chin brought her eyes back up to those of her companion.

"He does love you, you know," Odd said gently, eyes soft. A small half smile appeared on Aelita's face as she gave a small sort-of laugh, sort-of sigh.

"I know," she said. "But when will he tell me that himself?" The pink haired girl looked away again, but a hand on her shoulder had her turning back once more.

"Don't wait for him Aelita," Odd said, his expression gentle yet serious. "You know what's there; don't wait for him to make the first move. You go for it, and let him decide if he's going to step up or step aside." Odd sighed, looking to the side and then back again. "He needs to know that you want this too."

Aelita got the strange feeling that maybe Odd wasn't talking about Jeremy anymore.

"I'll go talk to him," Aelita said, nodding along with her words as she came to a decision. She then gave Odd a smile. "Thank you," she said, "for coming with me to the party. And for talking with me."

"It's no problem," Odd said, a goofy smile in place. "After all, what are cousins for?" Aelita laughed, reaching up and giving Odd a hug, and then a light peck on the cheek.

"Goodnight," she said with a smile, turning and heading for the dorms to go speak with another certain blonde boy.

"Goodnight!" Odd called after her, waving cheerily. He watched her go, and then sighed, his smile drooping as he tucked his hands into his pockets.

"Don't wait for him Aelita," he whispered quietly into the night air as he turned and started to walk in the other direction. "So I can stop waiting for you."


End file.
